The state of the news media in 2016 has been rocky at best. No one is denying that this past year has been a real stinker, but it is important to also see some of the major causes of this. I’m definitely not blaming the media for all of the terrible events of this past year. I’m suggesting we take a better look at the media this past year, both from a quantitative and qualitative standpoint. There are three main reasons why the media is one of the worst things about 2016.
1. 2015 was perhaps the worst year for newspapers, and 2016 was no better
Why does that make a difference? Think of it this way, facts and accuracy were hot button topics toward criticism of the media this year. Newspapers, before the decline, had far more resources and fact checkers on staff that would circulate news that went through intense research and several editors. The news was much slower that way, but far more accurate. Which brings me to the second reason.
2. News expectations have changed from accurate to fast
With Facebook and new online platforms spreading news, coverage of events like the presidential election have been all about speed and nothing to do with what is actually the truth. Sure, we were all up in arms after Trump was elected, especially with all the false media stories, and yet, we still use Facebook as our main source of “news.” People can say all they want that accurate news is what they want, but popular habits of Internet news tell another story.
3. Everyone wants to watch, not read
Going further down the track of Facebook, news is also depicted through video. Very few links on Facebook are to articles. As a writer, this is extremely frustrating. I’m sure journalists feel the same way. It is terrible to think that news has gotten this far from its roots, but just like everything else, it is naive to think that news shouldn’t evolve with the times. Evolving doesn’t mean that the idea of “news” should change, however. The objective should always be to keep people informed with the facts.
That is what news means to me. It is the connection of information that brings us together. It is about the truth. We have lost our way in that regard and that is why I have sworn off news for the rest of 2016. You should do the same.